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View synonyms for do one's duty

do one's duty

  1. Do one's tasks or what is expected of one. For example, He was only doing his duty when he made the children finish their work . [Early 1500s]

  2. Defecate or urinate, as in Please keep the dog outdoors until he does his duty . This euphemism for attending to such needs is heard less often today. [1930s]



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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As someone who’s been working on a book about cowardice for over a decade, I know that it’s a slippery concept, but also that classical, linguistic and military tradition define it pretty clearly as the failure, born of excessive fear, to do one’s duty.

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"I felt it was my duty to come. I certainly felt it would be an unpleasant experience, but that's not a good enough reason not to do one's duty."

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However, it is not only virtuous to do one's duty, but it is also the duty of the individual to do his best.

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To do one's duty sounds a rather cold and cheerless business, but somehow in the end it does give one a queer sort of satisfaction.

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It's easy to do one's duty when one doesn't care.

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